District of Columbia Policing Protection Act of 2025

Received in the Senate.

Sep 18, 2025

This bill repeals DC's current restrictions on vehicular pursuits by law enforcement and replaces them with a requirement that officers engage in pursuits unless they reasonably believe the pursuit would be futile, would create unacceptable risk of harm to persons other than the suspect, or can be replaced by more effective or expeditious apprehension methods. Currently, DC law permits pursuits only in cases involving crimes of violence or immediate serious threats, when pursuit is necessary to prevent that threat and unlikely to cause death or serious injury, and when other options are exhausted or unreasonable. The bill also requires the Department of Justice to report to Congress on the costs and benefits of the DC Metropolitan Police Department adopting technology to alert the public of active police pursuits in their vicinity.

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District of Columbia Policing Protection Act This bill repeals restrictions on the circumstances under which law enforcement officers in the District of Columbia (DC) may engage in vehicular pursuits (i.e., police chases) of suspects fleeing in motor vehicles, and instead generally requires such pursuits in the absence of other means of apprehension. Currently, pursuant to DC's Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, law enforcement officers generally may not engage in vehicular pursuits of suspects fleeing in motor vehicles unless the officer reasonably believes (1) the suspect was involved in a crime of violence or poses an immediate and serious threat to another person, (2) the pursuit is necessary to prevent that threat and is not likely to result in death or serious injury to any person, and (3) all other options have been exhausted or are unreasonable given the circumstances. The bill repeals these restrictions and instead requires law enforcement officers to engage in vehicular pursuits of suspects fleeing in motor vehicles unless the officer or a higher-ranking officer reasonably believes that (1) such pursuit would be futile, (2) the pursuit would entail an unacceptable risk of harm to a person other than the suspect, or (3) the suspect can be apprehended more effectively or expeditiously by other means. The bill also requires the Department of Justice to report to Congress on the costs and benefits of DC’s Metropolitan Police Department adopting technology that alerts the public of an active police pursuit in their immediate vicinity.